The present invention relates generally to a keyboard musical instrument which detects and records performance operations of a pedal or keys, and more particularly to recording half performances of a pedal or keys taking into consideration key-specific damper half regions related to operations of the pedal and key-specific damper half regions related to operations of the keys.
Heretofore, it has been generally know that keyboard musical instruments, constructed to generate a tone in response to striking of a string set (comprising one or more strings), have, for each of keys, a damper that is brought into and out of contact with the corresponding string set. As well known, the keyboard musical instruments are provided with a loud pedal (damper pedal) for controlling behavior of the dampers. Generally, in a depression stroke of the loud pedal (damper pedal), there are three different regions: a “play region (or rest region)” where no influence of depression of the loud pedal is transmitted to the dampers; a half pedal region from a point where reduction of pressing contact force applied from the dampers to the string sets is started to a point where the dampers are brought out of contact with the string sets; and a “string-releasing region” where, following the above-mentioned half pedal region, the dampers are completely spaced from the string sets.
Also known are keyboard musical instruments which can be caused to execute an automatic performance, including pedal operation, by supplying a driving electric current to a solenoid coil to drive a pedal in accordance with performance data. In an automatic performance on such a keyboard musical instrument, it is desirable, particularly in order to enhance reproducibility of the performance, that appropriate control be performed on the loud pedal and the like to provide appropriate pedal operation matching the above-mentioned half pedal region. For example, in performing feedback control etc. of pedal operation on the basis of performance data, it would be important to properly identify the above-mentioned half pedal region and have the identified half pedal region reflected in the control.
Thus, there have heretofore been proposed methods or techniques for accurately and easily identifying a half pedal region and a half point present in that half pedal region. Japanese Patent No. 4524798, for example, discloses a technique for observing driving loads on a pedal to identify a half point of the pedal. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2007-292921 discloses detecting vibrations of a soundboard to identify a half point of the pedal.
Also known are keyboard musical instruments, such as auto-playing pianos (player pianos), which execute an automatic performance by driving a pedal and keys on the basis of automatic performance information. A half pedal region and half pedal point obtained or identified in the aforementioned manner can be advantageously used to execute on the keyboard musical instrument an automatic performance using half regions.
Also known are keyboard musical instruments which detect movement of a pedal and keys in a performance and record the performance as automatic performance information (see, for example, Japanese Patent No. 4305319). Another keyboard musical instrument can execute an automatic performance by driving a pedal and keys on the basis of the automatic performance information recorded on the above-mentioned keyboard musical instrument.
In recording of movement of the damper pedal with the conventionally-known technique, a value indicative of a half operation is recorded in response to the pedal passing through a particular stroke position predetermined as a half point. With such a conventionally-known technique, however, no consideration is taken of the fact that a half characteristic (half pedal region or half pedal point) of the pedal can differ among the keys (see the above-identified Japanese Patent No. 4524798 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2007-292921).
According to observations by the inventors of the present invention etc., an actual half characteristic of the pedal can differ among the keys. Namely, timing or pedal stroke position at which the dampers are brought out of or into contact with the corresponding string sets (i.e., string-releasing/string-contacting timing) in response to movement of the damper pedal can differ among the dampers. However, because all of the dampers are collectively or simultaneously driven by an operation of the pedal, the dampers cannot be controlled individually or independently of one another. When performing a half operation of the damper pedal in a manual performance, a human player may be performing the pedal half operation while intuitively grasping an overall half characteristic for all of the dampers of a plurality of keys. Thus, in a manual performance, the human player can perform an appropriate half operation while grasping an overall pedal half characteristic specific to the keyboard musical instrument he or she uses.
In an automatic performance executed on the keyboard musical instrument, on the other hand, no appropriate half operation can be played back or reproduced unless there is a match between a pedal stroke position indicated by half operation instructing data in automatic performance information and a pedal stroke position that permits appropriate recognition of an overall half characteristic on the keyboard musical instrument. As a prerequisite for that, the half operation instructing data in the automatic performance information itself has to appropriately correspond to the pedal half characteristic. Normally, automatic performance information is generated on the basis of a human player's actual manual performance on a keyboard musical instrument, as noted above. Therefore, in recording the automatic performance information generated on the basis of the human player's actual manual performance, half operation instructing data in the automatic performance information itself has to appropriately correspond to the pedal half characteristic.
Thus, in recording a pedal performance as automatic performance information, it is desirable that half performance operation data permitting recognition of an overall half characteristic for all of the dampers be recorded taking into consideration a half characteristic in a stroke of the damper pedal for the damper of each of the keys. The same is true regardless of whether the half characteristic is defined by a half pedal point or a half pedal region.
Further, in recording of movement of the keys, for each of the keys, a value indicative of a half operation (i.e., indicative of that the key has passed through a half region or half point) is recorded in response to the key having passed through a predetermined key stroke position. However, in the automatic performance information recorded in accordance with the conventionally-known technique, a half characteristic (key-damper half region or key-damper half point) does not differ among the keys, and a key-damper half characteristic in a key stroke is defined in a uniform value for each of the keys.
Further, according to observations by the inventors of the present invention etc., an actual half characteristic of the keys can differ among the keys. Namely, timing or key stroke position at which the corresponding damper is brought out of or into contact with the corresponding string set (i.e., string-releasing/string-contacting movement timing) in response to movement of the key can differ among the dampers. In this case too, a human player in a manual performance may be performing half operations with subtle key-specific differences while instinctively grasping half characteristics specific to the keys.
In an automatic performance executed on the keyboard musical instrument, however, no appropriate key-damper half operation can be reproduced unless a key stroke position indicated by uniform key half operation instructing data in automatic performance information and a key stroke position that permits appropriate recognition of a key-specific half characteristic on the keyboard musical instrument match each other. As a prerequisite for that, key half operation instructing data in the automatic performance information itself has to appropriately correspond to a half characteristic of each of the key dampers. Normally, automatic performance information is generated on the basis of a human player's actual manual performance on a keyboard musical instrument, as noted above. Therefore, in recording the automatic performance information generated on the basis of the human player's actual manual performance, key half operation instructing data in the automatic performance information itself has to appropriately correspond to the pedal half characteristic of each of the key dampers.
Thus, in recording a key performance as automatic performance information, it is desirable that key half performance operation data specific to the individual keys on the keyboard musical instrument be recorded taking into consideration a half characteristic, in a key stroke, of the damper for each of the keys. The same is true regardless of whether the half characteristic of the key is defined by a key-damper half pedal point or a key-damper half pedal region.